Life, 1917-10-18 · page 6 of 40
Life — October 18, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Packard automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The ad uses World War I patriotism to market the new Packard Twin-Six limousine. The central image shows a well-dressed woman knitting in the car. The ad's headline "Why do women knit?" connects women's wartime knitting (producing socks, scarves, and other supplies for soldiers) to fuel conservation. The copywriter argues that just as women's knitting conserves resources for "the fighting man-power of the nation," efficient cars conserve gasoline—another crucial wartime resource. The appeal blends **gender stereotypes** (women as homemakers), **patriotic duty**, and **consumerism**: buying this specific car becomes an act of patriotic conservation. The technical details about the Twin-Six motor emphasize fuel efficiency as a selling point during wartime rationing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘The new Packard Limousine, seven passengers Why do women knit? Her burnished steel needles are now weapons of war. When she turns fiber into fabric, she adds to the vitally necessary-output of textiles. And thereby she helps to clothe the fight- ing man-power of the nation—and conserve the world’s present resources. To knit is her “bit.” And to conserve that other war munition —gasoline—is an important bit for us all. Enough gasoline there is for every need, if it is wisely used and not wasted. The outstanding fact about the Twin Six motor is that it saves gasoline. Its twelve small cylinders turn their charges into smooth, mighty power—without waste. All the force of the fuel is put to work. And now, with the new model Packard you may have a more beautiful car, a “‘snappier,” speedier car—and the satisfaction of knowing that you wring utmost power out of every gallon of gasoline. The Twin Six is a real factor—now—in conservation. Seventeen distinctive body styles in open and enclosed cars in the Third Series Twin Six—3-25 and 3-35 Ask the man w ho ow n S$ one Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit Sa TWIN-O comicbooks.€om